Orfordness Lighthouse

Orfordness Lighthouse

Orfordness Lighthouse
Suffolk
Location	Orfordness Suffolk England
Coordinates
Year first constructed	1637 (first)
Year first lit	1792 (current)
Automated	1965
Deactivated	2013
Construction	brick tower
Tower shape	tapered cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markings / pattern	white tower with two red bands, white lantern
Height	30 m (98 ft)
Original lens	2nd order 700mm, three panel catadioptric
Range	20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi)
Characteristic	Fl W 5s.
Admiralty number	A2258
NGA number	1564
ARLHS number	ENG-096
Managing agent	Orfordness Lighthouse Trust

Orfordness Lighthouse is a decommissioned lighthouse on Orford Ness, in Suffolk, England. The 30 metres (98 ft) tower was completed in 1792. The light had a range of 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi). It was equipped with an AIS transmitter with MMSI 992351016.

History

The first lights in this area were constructed in 1637: a pair of wooden leading lights. These were replaced in 1780 by a pair of brick towers. Scarcely a dozen years later the lower light of the two was precariously close to the sea due to shore erosion; it collapsed not long afterwards. In 1792, anticipating this inevitability, the landowner Lord Braybrooke built a new 'high light' in a different position. This is the lighthouse which still stands today. The old high light then functioned as the new 'low light', until it too was lost to erosion in 1887. The low light was not replaced again; instead, in 1888, red and green sectors were added to the high light.

The lighthouse was further modernised in 1914: a new revolving optic was installed (which remained in use for 99 years), and a new additional light was installed along with fixed lenses at a level below the lantern, so the sector lights now shone from windows on the tower. The lighthouse was electrified in 1959, and in 1964 it became the first lighthouse to be monitored by telemetry from Harwich, ushering in a process of lighthouse automation which continued around England over the next 35 years. The keepers were withdrawn from Orfordness the following year.

Decommissioning

The lighthouse was decommissioned on 27 June 2013, because of the encroaching sea. The modern electrical equipment and hazardous materials (mercury) have been removed. Trinity House has increased the power of the light at Southwold Lighthouse to compensate for the closure of Orfordness lighthouse. Unless demolished, the Orfordness tower is expected to survive for seven to eight years before falling into the North Sea.

See also

• List of lighthouses in England